Saudi surgeons successfully separate conjoined Somali twins after 14-hour operation

Saudi surgeons separate Somali conjoined twins in 14-hour operation in Riyadh RIYADH — A Saudi medical team has successfully separated 13-month-old Somali conjoined twins in a complex 14-hour operation at King Abdullah Specialist Children’s Hospital in Riyadh, officials said Thursday, marking a milestone for the Saudi Conjoined Twins Program and new hope for the family. The twins, Rahma and Ramla, were joined at the lower abdomen and pelvis and shared critical organs, making the case among the more complex conjoined twin…

Somalia’s Constitutional Crisis: Power Struggles Put Democracy on the Brink

Opinion/Analysis: Somalia’s constitutional crossroads — process, not power, will decide the future Somalia’s Constitution is again at the center of national politics. A round of changes presented as a constitutional amendment has triggered sharp objections from federal member states and opposition figures, raising questions about legality, legitimacy and the balance of power in the federation. At stake is not only the letter of the 2012 Provisional Federal Constitution but public confidence in the institutions charged with…

Somali President Arrives in Tanzania to Attend 25th East African Community Summit

Saturday March 7, 2026 Arusha — Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud arrived in Arusha on Saturday to attend the 25th Annual Summit of the East African Community, a high-level gathering focused on advancing economic integration, security cooperation and political coordination across the region. The visit signals Somalia’s deepening engagement with the regional bloc as it seeks to consolidate post-conflict gains and broaden economic and diplomatic ties. The summit brings together heads of state and senior officials from EAC…

Somalia’s Constitutional Crisis: Power Plays Imperil the Nation’s Fragile Democracy

Somalia’s constitutional crisis has moved from a simmering dispute to a direct test of the country’s democratic commitments, as a recent bid to amend the Provisional Federal Constitution triggered accusations of procedural violations, executive overreach and erosion of federal norms. The constitution is meant to be Somalia’s stabilizing contract: a framework that binds clans, regions and political actors to shared rules. Changing it is not a technical exercise. It requires transparent debate, broad-based political consensus…

Somalia Repatriates 12 Citizens Held in Sudan Over Smuggling Attempt

Somalia repatriates 12 citizens held for years in Sudan over irregular migration MOGADISHU, Somalia — Somalia’s federal government on Friday welcomed home 12 citizens who were detained for years in Sudan after attempting irregular migration, concluding a coordinated repatriation supported by the International Organization for Migration. The group landed at Aden Adde International Airport in Mogadishu following negotiations that secured their release from detention centers in Khartoum and Omdurman, according to the Ministry…

U.S. and Egypt discuss Somalia and Red Sea stability efforts

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty discussed Somalia and broader Horn of Africa security in a phone call Thursday, with Cairo reiterating its firm opposition to any recognition of North Western State of Somalia and signaling plans to deploy troops to Somalia as part of a reconfigured African Union mission, according to statements from both governments. Both sides said the conversation focused on preserving stability in the Horn at a moment of rising regional volatility. Abdelatty…

Himilo Qaran Urges Somali President to Prioritize Consensus-Based Elections

Saturday March 7, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — A political party led by former President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed has urged President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud to prioritize a broadly agreed electoral process as Somalia nears the end of the current term and digests sweeping constitutional amendments that extend federal mandates to five years. In a statement issued Friday, the Himilo Qaran party called on the president to devote the remainder of his mandate to organizing elections anchored in consensus among all political…

New constitution extends federal institutions’ mandate by one year, speaker says

MOGADISHU — Somalia has extended the mandates of its federal institutions to five years under a newly adopted constitution, effectively adding one year to current terms, Speaker of the House of the People Aden Mohamed Nur Madoobe announced Thursday. The move, unveiled at an iftar gathering in the capital, immediately deepened political fault lines in a country already grappling with drought and humanitarian strain. Madoobe said parliament and other constitutional bodies would now operate under the revised charter, which…

Canada’s PM Carney Won’t Rule Out Military Role in Iran War

CANBERRA, Australia — Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Thursday he cannot rule out Canada’s military participation in the escalating war in the Middle East, even as he reiterated that the U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran launched last weekend appeared “inconsistent with international law.” Asked in a joint news conference with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese whether there was any scenario in which Canada would get involved, Carney called the question hypothetical but left the door open. “One can never…

Stock markets, oil prices volatile amid fears Iran conflict will drag on

Stocks in the U.K. and U.S. rose while Asian indexes tumbled Wednesday as oil and gas prices whipsawed on fears the U.S.-Israel conflict with Iran will drag on and keep choking traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital energy artery. The FTSE 100 and major U.S. and European benchmarks rebounded after two days of declines; several Asian markets fell sharply for a third straight session. Brent crude is up about 12 percent since Saturday, when U.S. and Israeli forces began bombing Iran and Tehran retaliated with strikes on…